


Beginning

by fuckthenaysayers



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, First Meetings, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-19
Updated: 2017-03-19
Packaged: 2018-10-07 20:41:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10368987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fuckthenaysayers/pseuds/fuckthenaysayers
Summary: Another half-hour filled with Halo was enough to push him though, and he just couldn't take any more. Jumping to his feet, he stomped out of his apartment, walking over to his neighbor's door and pounded on it loudly, making sure it could be heard over the music. A couple minutes passed and Jack was about to knock again when he heard the soft click of the door opening.Staring up at him was a young blond man, eyes swollen and red, full of tears that were threatening to spill at any moment. "C-Can I help you?" he asked if a quiet, stilted southern voice. Jack swallowed hard, instant regret and worry pooling in the pit of his stomach as he stared down at the smaller man.OR The "You've been playing that song on repeat for hours and I can hear it through the walls, you're driving me in-Oh shit you're crying... You ok?" AU.





	

****

Jack was pretty patient. Patience and good manners were some of the first things his parents instilled in him, and he'd grown up keeping a polite but distant manner towards most things. He could wave off someone running into him, could sit quietly through the most long-winded speeches from coaches, smile and compliment even his least favorite food if served to him with someone's best interests in mind.

But even Jack Zimmermann, deigned the patient saint of Samwell by Shitty Knight, had his limits. Apparently those limits were four hours of his neighbor playing the same song on repeat. He had been used to hearing music seeping through their one conjoined wall, usually something very upbeat and poppy. On the rare occasion a song caught Jack's attention, he'd try googling the lyrics and almost always it was a song by an artist named Beyonce.

This one was no different, in fact Jack had heard it plenty times since his neighbor moved in. Halo, it seemed, was one of his neighbor's favorite songs. Today they apparently couldn't get enough of it, the song having repeated countless times. Jack did his best to ignore it, focus on other things since it was a day off and he didn't want to leave the apartment if he didn't have to.

He tried reading, watching a documentary, hell he even tried drowning it out with his own music, but the mix of country and Beyonce wasn't the best idea. He toyed with the idea of going over and asking them to turn it down or off, but he'd never met that neighbor before and the awkwardness of that being their first meeting was hard for him to be okay with.

Another half-hour filled with Halo was enough to push him though, and he just couldn't take any more. Jumping to his feet, he stomped out of his apartment, walking over to his neighbor's door and pounded on it loudly, making sure it could be heard over the music. A couple minutes passed and Jack was about to knock again when he heard the soft click of the door opening.

Staring up at him was a young blond man, eyes swollen and red, full of tears that were threatening to spill at any moment. "C-Can I help you?" he asked if a quiet, stilted southern voice. Jack swallowed hard, instant regret and worry pooling in the pit of his stomach as he stared down at the smaller man.

"I...uh... I live next door." Was all he could manage to get out, lips pressing into a tight frown. The blond looked confused for a second, before realization and an apologetic look took over.

"Oh lord, I'm so sorry." He sniffled out, hurrying into his home and grabbing his phone, which Jack saw was connected to some sort of speaker. He pressed something and the music stopped, and Jack's shoulders instantly relaxed from the tense position he'd been unknowingly holding them in. The younger man shuffled back over, and Jack took in the rest of him. He was thin but surprisingly toned, arms and legs on display as he wore just a pair of red shorts and a black tank top. "I'm so rude, gosh, you let a Southern boy out of Georgia and he just forgets all his manners. I'm Eric by the way, but you can call me Bitty. Most people do." He offered a hand, which Jack took, shaking it gently and marveling in the warm that flooded over to him from such a small amount of contact.

"Jack. It's okay, really, I just. Are you okay?" Bitty chewed on his lower lip, looking to the floor and giving a little half-shrug.

"I'm alright, or I will be anyway. Today was just a little rough. I..." He paused, debating on sharing more, a hand reaching up to rub at one of his eyes. "I kind of found out my boyfriend is-was cheating on me. Has been the whole time we've dated, apparently. The other guy messaged me, found me when he snooped through his phone or something. I can't even talk to him, I sent him a breakup text and then I wanted to distract myself with music, and Halo came on, and halo is one of my favorite Beyonce songs, and it was, was our song and I just..." His eyes welled again, fat droplets streaking down his face as he got lost in his thoughts.

Jack panicked, squirming uneasily for a moment before making a decision. He stepped forward, slipping a hand under each of Bitty's arms and lifting him with ease, moving and gingerly setting him down on the couch. He hurried back to the door and shut it, looking around Bitty's apartment for the first time.

It was much smaller than Jack's, but much cozier too. Warm colors covered the walls, everything was clean but lived in, magazines and books filling shelves and artwork decorating almost every empty space. He spotted what he had been looking for, a soft-looking red blanket folded over the armchair and grabbed it, wrapping Bitty up tight. Quiet sniffles were escaping, and Jack could tell Bitty was back to how he was when he first answered the door.

A huge part of him was screaming to just leave, this was a private situation that he had no part of, but every time he looked at Bitty his heart ached. He at the very least understood the pain of heartbreak, knew that numbness that followed, knew the confusion that clouded his head for days without anyone to help pull him out of it. He pulled out his phone, texting Shitty for advice.

Jack: What do I do for someone who's upset?  
Shitty: What kind of upset we talking here?

Jack thanked all that was good that Shitty was out of class already, he knew he could count on a fast reply then.

 

Jack: _Their significant other cheated on them._  
Shitty: **Fuck, that's some sucky stuff dude. Never hurts to drown your sorrows in sugary foods and daytime television.**

 

Jack frowned at his phone. That didn't really sound that comforting, but he knew he dealt with things a lot differently than most people did. After typing a quick thanks to Shitty, he sat down next to Bitty, patting his back softly with one hand. "My friend says sweet food and bad TV will help. I know we hardly know each other but I've got the day off and I kind of don't want to leave you like this. Would it be alright with you if I kept you company?"

Bitty was quiet for a couple minutes, rubbing at his eyes and sniffling, still wrapped up snug in the blanket. After a few deep breaths he settled down, looking at Jack gratefully. "I'd like that a lot, actually. Thank you Jack, I'm sorry we met when I'm such a mess like this." Jack just shook his head in reply, making Bitty smile. "Well, I've got a ridiculous amount of pies in the kitchen, you go take your pick for us."

Jack nodded, getting up and walking into the kitchen. Heat swept over him and he realized that Bitty wasn't joking about the amount of pies. At least a half dozen different pies were scattered around the kitchen cooling, the variety of delicious scents overwhelming Jack. He looked them over, dreading the calorie count and trying to convince himself it would be alright. One caught his eye, or rather his nose, specifically. A lattice-topped apple pie sat in front of him, the smell of maple syrup mixing with the apples and enveloping him in a nostalgic way.

He rifled through the cabinets and drawers, grabbing a couple of plates and some cutlery along with the pie, and headed back into the living room. Bitty had slipped one hand out of his cuddly cocoon, the remote in his hands now as he flipped through the channels. Jack sat down next to him, their legs brushing together as he settled in, placing the pie in front of them. Bitty chuckled a little at his pie choice, watching as Jack carefully cut through it. "Went for the maple apple, huh? Thought I heard a Canadian accent there."

Jack grinned bashfully, plating up two slices and handing one to Bitty. "I couldn't help it, the maple compelled me. So what are we watching?" Bitty hummed in response, still flicking through the channels before stopping on one.

"Let's start off with some Maury, I wanna get lost in other people's drama instead of my own." Jack just nodded like he had any clue what sort of show that was, and picked up his own slice of pie. He couldn't help the noise of pure delight that escaped him at the first bite, Bitty giving him a bit of a prideful look. "Like it?"

A fervent nod was Jack's reply, unwilling to give up precious chewing time to a verbal response. Bitty giggled, taking a bite of his own slice and settling into the couch.

They stayed that way for hours, going from Maury to Judge Judy, to the Ellen show. Bitty explained each show to Jack, giving little insights on the hosts. Jack enjoyed it all, the shows not quite what he tended to watch during his free time but it was an interesting look into American daytime TV. Half the pie was demolished, and at some point Jack ended up swaddled in the blanket too, their sides pressed together.

Eventually, Bitty was the one to break the comfortable setup, getting up to use the bathroom. He returned after a few minutes, wandering over to where he'd left his phone and checking it. He huffed a little, slamming it back down on the table. Jack looked over with surprise, a questioning look on his face. "Apparently my cheating asshole of an ex has been calling and texting me all day. I'm glad I had my phone on mute." He sighed and walked back over to the couch, flopping back down next to Jack.

"Thank you for all of this, Jack. Honestly this has been so nice, I can't remember the last time I've felt this calm." Jack smiled softly, sitting up a bit.

"No need to thank me. Honestly, I've enjoyed today too, I forgot how nice it is to spend time with someone like this."

Bitty smiled back, a bit shyly, and played with the ends of the blanket. "Well, I don't know if you have any dinner plans, but I'd be happy to make something as a proper thank you. We could watch something on Netflix, like a movie or a documentary if you like them. But it's cool if you have to go, I know you've spent a lot of time here already."

Jack mulled it over for a few moments. Normally he would take any chance to bow out of more social interaction, but he had been genuine in saying that he'd really enjoyed spending today with Bitty. Now he had this sweet Georgia boy offering to make him dinner and watch a documentary with him? He smiled widely at Bitty, nodding slightly. "Sounds great."

Bitty was beaming now, sitting up and putting together their dirty dishes. "Great, I'll get started then. You can watch whatever you'd like, I'll get to cooking." He stood up, heading into the kitchen and setting the plates and cutlery in the sink. Jack stayed sitting for a minute before getting up, taking a seat at Bitty's island counter instead.

"Is it alright if I watch you instead? I could use some cooking tips."

"Of course, Jack, the more the merrier. Do you have any allergies, any preferences for dinner?"

"No allergies. If it could be lean meat that would be great, pretty sure I've ruined my diet plan with that pie." Bitty nodded, casting Jack a bit of an odd look as he set about pulling out pots and pans.

"Diet plan, huh? If you don't mind me saying, I'm not so sure someone as fit as you needs one of those."

Jack chuckled, flushing a bit and rubbing at the back of his neck bashfully. "It's for my job. I'm a professional hockey player." Bitty froze at that, head whipping to look at Jack as though it was the first time he'd seen him all day.

"Oh my goodness. Of course you are, good lord, what a fool I am. Here I've been crying on THE Jack Zimmermann all day, lord the boys will never let that go." Bitty groaned, a palm to his forehead in exasperation at himself. Jack was a bit shocked, to say the least. When Bitty hadn't reacted at all when he first introduced himself he assumed that the blond had no idea who he was.

"You know of me?"

"Know of you? You're practically all I hear about lately from my friends. I was actually in a hockey team at college, I swear the entire team was head over heels for you since you got signed to the Falconers. I never really followed the NHL teams, so I only really knew of you from my friends til I moved here. Oh I swear, every other time I talk to one of them it's 'Did you meet Jack Zimmermann yet? Have you gone to a Falconers game? Is Mashkov as tall in real life?', like I've had any free time to do much besides work and moon over asshole guys."

"Sounds like you'll have some free time now."

"Mister Zimmermann, I will not have you chirping me in my own home." Bitty's tone was sharp, but the playful smirk on his face betrayed his voice. Jack smirked back playfully, chin cupped in a hand as he watched Bitty begin to season some chicken breasts.

"I mean it though. If you like I could get you some tickets, you can invite your team, I'll get you real close to the ice. Maybe it'll keep them from chirping you."

"Doubtful, but I may still take you up on that offer. Mama always told me to be gracious."

Jack just smiled, eyes following Bitty as he wandered to the fridge, pulling out some fresh veggies to make into a side dish. "So you played hockey, eh? Tell me about it."

The next hour was spent cooking and chatting, Bitty telling Jack all about Boston and his team. Jack chimed in with talk of his own team, the two bonding over hockey and ridiculous teammate stories. As dinner finished up, Bitty pulled out a bottle of wine, pouring a glass and offering it to Jack. "Just water, thanks. I'm not much of a drinker." Bitty was happy to oblige, instead pouring Jack a tall glass of water and taking the wine for himself.

They headed back to the couch with dinner, Bitty having come up with a vaguely healthy meal that included chicken, vegetables, and what Jack might argue as an ungodly amount of cheese. He couldn't complain when he took his first bite though, a happy sigh escaping as Bitty smirked at him knowingly. "And you told me I was using too much cheese."

"Still too much cheese. Doesn't mean it's not good." Bitty nudged him with his elbow, rolling his eyes and grabbing the remote. They agreed on a food documentary called The Search for General Tso, which combined Bitty's interest in food, and Jack's interest in history. They ate slowly, making the meal last through at least half the documentary, Bitty eventually switching to just nursing his second glass of wine. His feet were tucked up under him, the way he sat inadvertently pressing him more into Jack, who didn't seem to mind in the slightest.

Near the end, Bitty's head seemed to be drooping, his wine glass forgotten on the coffee table as he leaned into Jack. When Jack managed to pull his attention from the documentary he gave the smaller man a quick glance. He chuckled under his breath at the gentle sight, Bitty's mouth parted slightly as he dozed, chest rising and falling slowly with each breath. It almost hurt to have to disturb him, but Jack knew it would be going too far to let himself fall asleep here too.

"Bitty. It's late, I should get going." He jostled the younger man softly, Bitty groaning quietly in return. He stirred eventually, blinking sleepy eyes at Jack as the older man slowly stood, stretching and sighing in relief as his back cracked. Bitty got up quietly, walking Jack to the door.

They paused at the door, Jack having just walked out, Bitty leaning tiredly against the frame. "Jack, I really can't thank you enough for today. I swear this morning I felt like my world had broken apart, I just couldn't do anything but cry. I don't feel I can put into words how much you coming over helped me, even if you were actually gonna yell at me for playing Halo for hours."

They laughed at that, Jack giving Bitty a gentle smile and a soft pat on the shoulder. "I think I really needed it too, honestly. When you get into a routine you sometimes forget how nice it is to do something different." Bitty hummed in agreement, looking pointedly away from Jack. He looked a bit nervous, darting his eyes back for a second before looking away again.

"Would... would you like to do it again sometime?" Bitty asked, hesitating for just a moment before following through. He caught Jack's eyes again, but kept them locked, a bashful smile spreading across his face. "It was fun. I mean, I don't know how well our schedules would actually line up but I mean I'm sure we must have at least one night free the same time, or maybe we could try the daytime but normally I work then, the bakery's busiest then and lord knows Janet wouldn't dare let me have a day off during the week, but usually Sundays are free so-"

"Bitty."

The blond shut up instantly, cheeks hot from embarrassment. He was so quick to start rambling when he got nervous, and of course today would be no different. Just as he was going to start chastising himself, Jack smiled widely at him, and he settled down again. "That sounds great. My schedule is pretty set for now, so I guess you can just let me know when you're free and we can plan around that. Maybe next time I'll make you dinner."

"You know how to cook?"

"You don't believe me?" A skeptical look was all Jack needed, the older man laughing brightly. "I can, I swear! I'll prove it. Next week. Let me have your number, I'll text you later and you can text me your schedule and I'll plan the best dinner I've got in my repertoire." Bitty was grinning now, rattling off his number for Jack as the other man entered it into his phone.

"I'll be holding you to that promise, Mister Zimmermann."

"I'll be sure to impress. Have a good night, Bitty."

"You too Jack. Thanks again."

Jack just smiled, waving awkwardly as he walked the few steps it took to get to his place, giving Bitty one last smile before heading inside. Bitty headed inside too, smiling to himself as he went about cleaning up their plates. His phone buzzed from its spot, left forgotten next to the speaker after he checked it last and he sighed. He wasn't really prepared to actually talk to his ex, who had been trying to contact him all day. Flipping the phone over, he scanned the screen, happiness welling in him and his smile growing at the notification displayed.

 

(401) 151-3007: _This is Jack. Hey. :-)_


End file.
